Celestial Master Zhang now wore a solemn, grave expression, a complete departure from his previous self. How should one put it? He was serious—so serious it was almost out of character.

"Do you know the total population of Ping'an Village?"

He didn't seem surprised to see Tu Xiao'an and suddenly spoke up to ask a question.

Tu Xiao'an didn't understand his motive, but he answered nonetheless, "Three hundred and sixty."

That was what Leng Shuang had told him before.

"Wrong. A year ago, this village had a population of at least five hundred. Now, it's barely two hundred. In this past month alone, no fewer than a hundred people have died, and every family has added a new grave to their plot."

Hearing this, Tu Xiao'an's breath hitched. 'This village is on the verge of being wiped out.'

A look of sorrow crossed Celestial Master Zhang's face. "They all died tragic deaths. I must perform rites and chant sutras for them, to free their souls from suffering, from the torments of Hell, so they may ascend to the Paradise Realm."

"Your compassion brings immeasurable merit, Daoist." Tu Xiao'an really had to see this supposedly unreliable Daoist in a new light.

Celestial Master Zhang smiled faintly. "You're the one whose merit is immeasurable. You saved the remaining villagers, keeping them from being tormented to death by that strange disease. Thanks to you, I'll have one less soul to guide."

With that, Celestial Master Zhang sat down cross-legged, took out some Daoist ritual items, and began to recite scriptures to guide the souls of the dead.

Tu Xiao'an didn't disturb him, but he couldn't help either. This was a task that only Daoists and Monks could perform.

He watched from the side for a while, but it was all rather dull. And since he couldn't find the Snake Spirit yet, he decided to head back for now.

He wasn't worried that the Snake Spirit would come out and devour Celestial Master Zhang. If anything strange happened, Tu Xiao'an could be there in the blink of an eye.

The rest of the night passed quietly.

「The next morning.」

Tu Xiao'an stepped out of the crude lodging, closing his eyes to sense his surroundings. The entire village was still shrouded in a strange, snake-like aura, though with the arrival of daylight, it was no longer as cold or oppressive.

But this snake-like aura was like a shroud of darkness, suffocating the entire village, leaving its people unable to see the light.

Tu Xiao'an was short on time. He only had three days. Yesterday was his first day, and it had been too late to accomplish anything.

Today, he was determined to find the hidden Snake Spirit.

He stood pondering for a moment, preparing to find the old village chief to ask about some sensitive matters. But just then, a child of seven or eight came running toward him and accidentally bumped into his body.

A woman followed behind him, carrying a bowl full of water. When she saw her child bump into someone and realized it was Tu Xiao'an, she panicked and immediately apologized, "Divine Doctor, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! My child has offended you."

She bowed again and again, pulled the child over, and chided him, "I brought you a drink of water, why are you running around like that? Get on your knees and apologize to the Divine Doctor!"

Tu Xiao'an's current standing in the hearts of the Ping'an Village residents was incredibly high, second to none. Celestial Master Zhang might talk a big game about subduing demons, but so far, he had made no real contribution.

He was different. He had single-handedly cured the entire village of the strange illness. At this point, he could practically do no wrong in their eyes.

"Little Divine Doctor, I'm sorry. You're a good person. I didn't mean to bump into you. Did I hurt you?"

The child was quite sensible and tried to kneel and apologize to Tu Xiao'an, but for some strange reason, he found he couldn't get his knees to bend.

"It's all right, little one. I know you didn't mean to. I'm not hurt."

Tu Xiao'an smiled and patted the boy's head. The children in the mountains had darker skin, but they were sturdy and healthy.

This child was lucky; he hadn't contracted the strange illness.

"Here, child, drink this water first. You've been crying about being thirsty since the crack of dawn, and now that I've brought it, you're just running all over the place."

"I don't wanna! I don't wanna! This water tastes like dead people."

The child said, shaking his head nervously.

"You silly boy, what nonsense are you talking about? Who told you the water tastes like dead people?" the woman scolded him, her tone firm but not harsh.

"When I went out to pee this morning, I saw someone jump into the well." Fear flickered in the child's eyes.

The woman angrily smacked his bottom. "Nonsense! Why would anyone jump into the well? You little rascal, are you looking for a spanking this morning?"

"It's true, it's true! I saw it with my own eyes! That's why we can't drink the water."

Tu Xiao'an, who had been listening from the side, frowned. "Little one, did you really see someone jump into the well?"

"Divine Doctor, he's just talking nonsense, don't listen to him. I'll take him home and teach him a proper lesson." The woman grabbed her child, furious, and gave his bottom several hard smacks.

The child wept. "Why are you hitting me? I'm not lying! Everything I said is true!"

Tu Xiao'an quickly stopped the woman. Sometimes, a child's words hold more truth than an adult's. He said to her, "Let me see that bowl of water you're holding."

The woman hesitated for a moment before handing him the bowl, now half-spilled.

The child thought Tu Xiao'an was going to drink the water and grew anxious. "Divine Doctor, that water tastes like dead people! You can't drink it!"

Tu Xiao'an smiled, then focused his gaze on the bowl. It was well water, perfectly clear. He sniffed it—colorless and odorless. 'This child's words are interesting,' he thought. 'Tastes like dead people, does it?'

He took a sip, wanting to taste for himself just what "dead people" tasted like.

"Little Divine Doctor, don't drink that!"

The child cried out in alarm. He was a very kind and sincere boy.

Tu Xiao'an couldn't actually taste the so-called "flavor of dead people." However, after taking a sip, a glint flashed in his eyes. He had tasted something else entirely.

"Where is the well?"

Tu Xiao'an suddenly looked at the woman.

The woman pointed behind her. "In the center of the village."

"Can you take me to see it?"

The woman nodded without hesitation. The Divine Doctor was their village's great benefactor; a small request like this was nothing at all.

As they walked, the woman asked nervously, "Divine Doctor, you... you didn't really taste it, did you? The flavor of dead people?"

"Let's go take a look first," Tu Xiao'an said without elaborating.

Before long, the woman led Tu Xiao'an to a well. It was as old as Ping'an Village itself and had a long history.

A natural spring fed it from below, and no matter how long the mountains went without rain, this well had never run dry. It had nourished untold generations of Ping'an Village's people.

Tu Xiao'an walked to the edge of the well and peered down. He immediately felt waves of Yin Qi wash over him. The shaft was deep and dark. After a moment's thought, he used the nearby wooden bucket to draw up some of the well water. When he touched it, the water was bone-chillingly cold.

Then, Tu Xiao'an took another sip of the well water, tasting it carefully.

Seeing this, the woman's child grew anxious again. "Divine Doctor, why are you drinking the dead-people-water again? You can't, it'll give you a stomachache!"

"You little rascal, still spouting nonsense! Do you want me to beat you?" the woman snapped angrily.

"Ma'am, could I trouble you to gather some people? There really is a dead body at the bottom of this well."

Tu Xiao'an looked up, his voice grave. The woman was utterly stunned, her eyes slowly widening in shock.

She could dismiss her child's words as nonsense, but she couldn't do the same with the Divine Doctor's. His words had to be taken seriously.